1. Field of the Invention
The disclosure relates to integrated die-level cameras and methods of making the same and, more particularly, to devices, systems and methods in which multiple cameras are integrated in the same die, which is cut or otherwise removed from a wafer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electronic devices, such as mobile telephones, smart phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), etc., increasingly include more than one camera. In general, the multiple cameras have different configurations and performance characteristics. As devices have become increasingly sophisticated, the level of functional specialization of each camera has increased. For example, typical applications may require one main camera with higher resolution, image quality and dimensions and at least one additional camera with lesser requirements, e.g., lower resolution, cost, dimensions, image quality, etc. Some particular devices may include more than two cameras, each having specialized requirements. Some of these cameras may not be used for image capture, but are instead included to carry out such functions as, for example, determining whether a face is present in its field of view, detecting light level, recognizing gestures, etc.
In conventional systems having multiple cameras, multiple individual cameras are designed, developed and produced, each camera being customized for a specific function. This conventional approach has the disadvantage that multiple process steps are required for each camera, resulting in a higher-cost solution. Also, in some systems, the issue of preventing stray light from one imaging system from affecting the image quality of the other is not addressed. This issue can have a substantial negative effect on the performance of one or more of the cameras and the overall system.